From the Public Defender
Cleveland Police Authority
Middlesbrough 2015 - 13 years of absolutism despotism & dictatorship.
'I WAS on the police authority, but WASN'T at the meeting when chief constable's bonuses were agreed', Commissioner Barry Coppinger insists
Cleveland's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) has denied involvement in the "mistake" to pay Sean Price bonuses of £450,000 - which his office then tried to claw back.
Labour's Barry Coppinger was a member of the police authority when it approved the bonus and salary payments for Mr Price at the time he was chief constable.
But Mr Coppinger, a former deputy chair of the authority, was not present at the meeting when the decision was made, his spokesman told The Gazette today.
It has emerged the case to try and have the bonuses repaid has cost the cash-strapped force around £43,000 of taxpayers money in barristers and in-house solicitors fees.
The authority made the payments "by mistake of law" and decided to try to reclaim the cash, plus interest, from Mr Price.
But as reported, the case was abandoned yesterday and a compromise settlement of just £23,000 was accepted.
Mr Coppinger declined to speak to the Gazette directly but a spokesman confirmed he was a member of the police authority at the time when Mr Price received the bonuses.
The PCC "inherited" the decision to lodge the legal case against Mr Price when elected in 2012, his spokesman added.
In a statement, Mr Coppinger said after taking office, he "considered all of the circumstances and legal advice" and determined that "if the action were to continue it be on the following basis:
- That it be brought by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and not him personally,
- That costs would be managed and controlled as appropriate, and
- The action could be halted at any time he deemed appropriate."
He said the decision to discontinue the case was made after taking into account the chances of winning.
Coppoutinger couldn't win an egg n spoon race.
Remember his support to households in Gresham.
See you I'm off to another ward to get elected.
"I also considered the potential six figure cost implications to the force if we were to go to court and lose or go to court and win but be unable to recover our costs," he said.
Father-of-two Mr Price was arrested in August 2011 and sacked in October 2012 - the first police chief to be fired in 35 years - after a disciplinary hearing found he had lied about the role he played in the recruitment of former police authority chairman Dave McLuckie`s daughter.
Mr Price denied any wrongdoing.
He had branded the decision to take him to court "vindictive", claiming he had no way to pay back the cash even if the force proved that the bonuses should never had been received.
Price Less History
Former Cleveland Police Chief Constable Sean Price.
MARCH 2003 Best of friends. Sean Price, pictured left with Mayor Ray Mallon, takes over the role of chief constable from Barry Shaw in the wake of the Operation Lancet inquiry. He promises a fresh start for the force after five years of bitter internal wrangling during the inquiry.
The beginning of something wonderful for certain people at
Cleveland PoliceOperation Lancet
Was a criminal investigation launched into allegations that Middlesbrough CID detectives had offered drugs to prisoners in exchange for confessions. which immediately resulted in two detectives being suspended. At the initial press conference revealing the suspensions, Cleveland ACC Richard Brunstrom said: "We appointed Ray Mallon to implement a culture change. I believe it was because Ray was so successful that this evidence came to light. However, in November 1997 Ray Mallon was suspended from duty as part of Operation Lancet. Cleveland Assistant Chief Constable Robert Turnbull said Mallon had been suspended for "alleged activities that could be construed as criminal conduct" and "allegedly passing on information about the inquiry to a third party." An outside force was brought in to oversee Lancet which developed into a major inquiry. At one stage it involved dozens of investigating officers from four different forces. On 20 June 2000 the CPS issued a press release stating "It is our decision that prosecutions are not possible at this time as there is insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction against any officer".
More Price Less History
Former Cleveland Police Chief Constable Sean Price.
This sets out the stall for the next 12 years.
Zero Ziltch apart for McUnlucky ~ Who did he upset?
AUGUST 2003: Price launches his vision for a new community policing initiative "Putting People First". The cornerstone of the scheme will be delivering neighbourhood policing with more officers on the beat.
JANUARY 2004: Mr Price defends his decision to impose a 28.9 per cent budget increase to pay for 200 new officers.
MARCH 2004: Mr Price and Cleveland Police Authority are embroiled in a financial black hole when a £7.3m cash deficit is discovered in the force's budget, forcing a U-turn over the budget rise.
FEBRUARY 2005: The force agrees a deal to secure £6.3m from the Home Office. Mr Price promises that the money will be used to continue funding frontline officers and services.
JUNE 2005 Mr Price is awarded the Queen's Police Medal in recognition of his distinguished service.
AUGUST 2005: The chief constable and the then-chairman of Cleveland Police, Dave McLuckie, vow to fight plans to merge the force with any other in the region following a report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary calling for the biggest policing shake-up for more than 30 years.
APRIL 2007: Neighbourhood Policing launched as Mr Price continues his promise of Putting People First.
FEBRUARY 2009: Mr Price signs an extension to his contract. The force also takes the controversial decision to go it alone and operate its own air support unit, which will cost £1.78m to run for a year.
Middlesbrough Town Hall and Cleveland Police ~ run by Cowboys
DECEMBER 2009 Mr Price, pictured above, uses the country's tallest police horse, Clyde, right, to help reduce problems in Middlesbrough town centre over the Christmas period.
Cleveland Police Mounted Section
Disbanded because of budget cuts (2014)
Cleveland Police Horses
JUNE 2010 Mr Price explains why about 500 police civilian jobs are being transferred to private company Steria, pictured above, in a move that will shave £50m off costs over the next ten years.
APRIL 2011: Cleveland Police named as Police Force of the Year, as well as scoring top marks in public confidence in the British Crime Survey.
AUGUST 2011: Mr Price arrested as part of Operation Sacristy, the criminal investigation into a number of people with current or past associations with the police authority. He is suspended from duty on full pay.
OCTOBER 2012 Instantly dismissed after being found guilty of two charges of gross misconduct following an independent disciplinary hearing.
MARCH 2014: Told he will be facing no criminal charges as a result of Operation Sacristy
Jolly Boys (and Girls) outings
MAY 2013 Detective Chief Inspector Heather Eastwood, above, quits the force ahead of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) hearing into an allegation that she failed to inform her superiors when she was arrested for being drunk and disorderly in 2011.
'Do you know who I am?' rant of drunken Cleveland Police officer.
- 'You're the sort of shit I normally scrape off my shoe'.
- When the police were called she told them to 'f*** off'.
- She was unfit to look after herself and had urinated her trousers.
Cleveland Police taking the piss out off the people again do the people of Middlesbrough and Cleveland deserve this? ok Eastwood and Pricey have gone but Coppoutinger remains and continues taking the piss.
Read more about Eastwood below.
THE full details of the foul and abusive behaviour of the drunken partner of the disgraced former chief constable of Cleveland Police have been revealed.
Detective Chief Inspector Heather Eastwood was taken to hospital after being found drunk and disorderly while stumbling through the streets of Northallerton town centre in April 2011.
But the detective, who later married Sean Price, became abusive to staff saying 'Do you know who I am', 'You're the sort of shit I normally scrape off my shoe' and when the police were called she told them to 'f*** off'. When security officers were called by staff at the Friarage Hospital, she attempted to hit and kick them.
She was arrested and taken the North Yorkshire market town's police station where it was decided she was unfit to look after herself and had urinated her trousers. While in custody she continued to be abusive towards custody staff saying 'I want to speak to the organ grinder, not the monkey' and 'Get me the duty solicitor now, you monkey' The disgraced detective failed to disclose that she was a senior officer at Cleveland Police, misled custody staff and neglected to report her arrest following her release. Mr Price was also investigated for failing to report his partner's arrest despite travelling to Northallerton to pick her up. He maintained that he was not aware that she had been arrested. During interview with the Independent Police Complaints Commission, Miss Eastwood, as she was then, denied being drunk and maintained that she had only drank four glasses of wine. She explained her behaviour was down to a head injury she suffered when after an assault and said it was completely out of character.
The report recommended that DCI Eastwood should face a charge of gross misconduct while Mr Price would also face a similar charge but he had already been dismissed for an unrelated incident.
The detective was allowed to resign from her post before facing the gross misconduct hearing.Read more
More Jolly Boys Outings
AKA Taking the Piss outa Cleveland and Middlesbrough
Making music Cleveland Police style Family Affair up yours Jimmy.
Cleveland Police chiefs enjoyed a booze fuelled trip to the States for awards ceremony.
A trip to Denver for two award-winning detectives was turned into a booze fuelled freebie for the two men who headed up Cleveland Police.
What should have been a proud night for the force turned into an embarrassing evening as the then chairman of Cleveland Police, Dave McLuckie, said in front of the host of the event that he would have "chinned" the Denver Police Chief.
The larger-than-life former chairman was also heard on several occasions shouting across the packed conference room to former Chief Constable Sean Price demanding that he get him a drink - shouting "Price - bar" while waving an empty glass in the air.
Detective Sergeant Rebecca Driscoll and Detective Constable Gill Matthews were invited to attend the International Association of Woman Police (IAWP) after they helped expose a transatlantic drugs network.
Their expertise and dedication played a pivotal part in breaking up the supply chain between the UK and the States, which closed 100 drugs factories in the US.
However, the behaviour of Mr McLuckie and their boss Mr Price overshadowed the celebrations.
A misconduct hearing report released as part of the Operation Sacristy investigation showed that the former chairman had behaved in a boorish way after he believed he had been snubbed by the Denver Police chief during a formal dinner in September 2007.
The report which includes evidence from one witness, states: During a lunch ceremony involving senior officers and other dignitaries from all over the world, McLuckie behaved in a rude, unprofessional and embarrassing way.
The host explained how she had risen through the ranks despite being a mother of four and stated that she had only been able to achieve that due to the flexible working practices instigated by the Denver Police Chief.
In front of the host of the event, McLuckie stated that he would have "chinned" the Denver Police Chief. It is believed that there was a grievance between McLuckie and the Denver Chief who had ignored McLuckie. The comments were felt to be embarrassing.
Mr McLuckie is also said to have complained about the quality of the food and demanded that the former chief constable "should take him out for something decent to eat after the meal".
The trip cost the taxpayer £7,312.72 despite the two recipients having their expenses covered as invited guests, while their partners paid for their own costs to attend the conference.
Undeterred by their experience the pair returned to Denver two years later to attend the International Association of Chief Police Officers Conference.
This time they invited along the two women who would later become their wives.
Mr Price was accompanied by his partner and staff officer Inspector Heather Eastwood, who later resigned from the force after failing to inform her superiors she had been arrested for being drunk and disorderly.
And Mr McLuckie was accompanied by the former secretarial manager of Cleveland Police Authority Julie Leng, who he later married after being imprisoned for perverting the course of justice.
The trip, which included business class flights and stays at the Marriott hotel in Denver and Radisson Heathrow Hotel, cost the taxpayer £18,015.49.
During an interview as part of the investigation into his gross misconduct, Mr Price produced a prepared statement where he denied hearing Mr McLuckie threaten to chin the Denver Police chief but said that the former CPA chairman felt he had been snubbed by the American officer when he barely spoke to him during the event.
He also described Mr McLuckie's attempts to get him to buy him a drink by shouting across the room was just his sense of humour but was not responsible for the manner in which his friend may "spontaneously" choose to behave.
The report into the trip concluded: The cost of the trip and the cost to the public purse (particularly with Price and McLuckie travelling business class) was excessive, contrary to Cleveland Police policies and unacceptable.
"Price knew or ought to have known that to be the case and that his actions constituted an abuse of public funds."
Price less and McUnlucky the Laurel and Hardy of Cleveland Police enjoy the joke trip, which included business class flights and stays at the Marriott hotel in Denver and Radisson Heathrow Hotel, cost the taxpayer £18,015.49.
Drunkards Liars and Thieves
Dave McUnlucky. Pictured before his holiday
Updating MBC town hall working to make life better for themselves.
Watch this space more sordid details from Ray Mallon and gang at Middlesbrough Town Hall appearing soon.
Je Suis Nigel Ward / Tim Hicks
Neighbouring Police Forces
Better Middlesbrough blog is maintained by "Rockliffe Rover", a vocal online campaigner for a better deal for the town of Middlesbrough. Rockliffe Rover is not affiliated to any political party or person but is a keen advocate of independent councillors in local government.
taken from Better Middlesbrough
Je Suis Nigel Ward / Tim Hicks QC Before it was News